<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - Social economy]]> 10 <![CDATA[Pay attention to what really matters]]> That one has a weekly "intervention" where drawings from Santa Antonio coexist with traditional photographs and graphics. The authors are children and young people from the Amadip-Esment Art Workshop. This is one of the countless initiatives of this Foundation which, for those who don't know, serves around 2,500 people annually, many of them with intellectual disabilities.

]]> <![CDATA[Care to diversify]]> A few days ago, the Inca City Council presented the results of a study that I had the honor of coordinating through the Intercoopera Foundation. Its objective was to measure the weight of the social economy within the overall economic and labor activity of the capital of the Raiguer region. It also aimed to highlight that, in addition to caring for the environment and people, social economy initiatives contribute significantly to the local economy, even if they do so discreetly, quietly, but with a strong commitment to the community in which they operate. One of the shortcomings of this sector, which lacks a specific economic activity code (CNAE) because it can operate across many different economic sectors, is the lack of real and effective data on its impact on island society. Therefore, the research we conducted in Inca, as a pilot project, provides us with insights not only into what the administrations should be doing regarding statistical information and data availability to understand the true situation. It also indicates that there is much more to it than we could have imagined, even though there is no major plan or public policy to promote it. In fact, at the regional level, neither the first Master Plan for the Social Economy, approved in 2018, nor the current one, seems to be a priority for either the previous or current government, especially considering their funding and available administrative resources, which are entirely insufficient to effectively boost the sector, as other regions have done.

]]> <![CDATA[The social economy drives Inca: it already generates more than 12% of its wealth]]>

A study by the Intercoopera Foundation has highlighted the significant role of the social and care economy in Inca, one of the largest municipalities in the Balearic Islands. This report challenges common perceptions about the islands' economic drivers and demonstrates the importance of a sector centered on the collective interests of its citizens. In Inca, the social economy generates 12.37% of the municipality's annual wealth, amounting to €58.5 million annually. 69% of the municipality's organizations focus their activities on care and support for people in vulnerable situations. In terms of employment, this sector represents 13.75%, with 1,170 employees. These employment figures place the social economy on par with construction and far ahead of sectors like retail and hospitality. The report notes that it "is five times the size of the traditional footwear industry."

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